We still haven't thought of a name. We have one in the line-up, but it isn't decided yet.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Pregnant at 28 weeks
Here it is folks! I haven't been very good at taking belly shots, so I took a whole bunch to make up for it. The kids kept cutting my head off, so the bathroom mirror was my friend. Avoiding the flash was difficult.
We still haven't thought of a name. We have one in the line-up, but it isn't decided yet.
We still haven't thought of a name. We have one in the line-up, but it isn't decided yet.
Spelling Tests
Joshua has been working on getting 100% on his spelling tests. Jon Mark has been WORKING on helping him improve his handwriting. Well, after a LOOOONG study session, Joshua declared that he would get a 100% the following day. He wrote 100% himself and drew a smiley face pointing to it in an effort to butter his teacher up to the idea. It was a 100% after all!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Arg!
I haven't posted in a month because I can't upload any pictures. I don't know why. Jon Mark? Please help me!!
I have pictures from 2 months ago. Arg!!
Anyway, I'll just update without pictures today.
So, the other day Luke woke up from sleep screaming and crying. I went to the kids room to see what was wrong. But, by the time I got there, I saw Mercedes holding his hand telling him that there was nothing to be afraid of. She said that big brother and big sister were right there next to him and so he was safe. Mothers like to hear such nice things.
Luke was so sick this week. I spent 2 nights in a row holding him and alternating between showers and sitting on the bench outside (he had croup). It was awful. He was gasping for air and I was trying hard to not panic. Earlier in the week we had taken Hannah to the urgent care down the road because of a really high fever. We know that the bill for that will be pretty expensive, so I didn't want to have to take Luke in if I didn't have to. So, we stayed up pretty much all night for two nights. He was so bad. I took him to the doctor who gave him some steroid treatments and new breathing treatment medicine and he is doing fine now. Modern medicine is such a blessing. While I stayed up with him through the night and listened to his breathing, I felt so helpless. I had done everything I knew how to do for croup, and nothing was working. I felt like a crazy person watching his lips to make sure they weren't turning blue. I gave up trying to get any kind of sleep because every time I closed my eyes all I could think about was what if I fell asleep and he stopped breathing. Those kind of thoughts do not allow for sleeping. I prayed a lot. Finally, his fever broke and he was able to get some rest on my chest. I'm so thankful that I have been taught to pray.
Mercedes is also sick. Poor girl coughs so much til she gags herself and spits up. She begged me to help her. Again, I was helpless. I did everything for her that I knew to do. I finally asked her if she'd like me to pray with her. She agreed that that was what she wanted. I'm not even kidding, half way through my prayer I heard snoring. I looked down at her and she was OUT. Completely and utterly asleep. She had been going crazy not being able to stop coughing long enough to fall asleep, and then just like that, she was out.
Hannah may have broken her thumb today. I was trying to find my car keys when Luke took Hannah into the garage. I think he was trying to be helpful. He knew we were getting ready to go and I think he was trying to load up into the car. Well, he shut Hannah's thumb in the sliding door of the car. It was so sad. That door is fickle. Sometimes it works and other times you cannot get it open--at all. On my first try, I couldn't open the door and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to. Her thumb was stuck. But, fortunately, the second try worked. Her thumb looked so horrible. It still does. I have seen her move it a little, but it looks like it may be broken. It was bloody and blue and I almost felt faint, but I pulled myself together and was able to help her as best that I could. She's upstairs sleeping now. She is such a cute little girl. She has learned to say certain phrases that her siblings say and they are all self-serving. In the cutest (and possibly most annoying, demanding voice possible) she shouts things like: "Let me out!" "I want some!" "This!" "Put sockies on!" Etc. But, on the other hand, she has learned that sometimes yelling for what she wants doesn't always get her what she wants, so her new thing is putting her hands together beneath her chin and in the sweetest little voice she says, "please?" And, it is hard to say no to that. She doesn't like being left behind for anything and she is quite a smart little lady. She knows when she is being jilted.
Joshua loves playing outside. I feel like I never get to see him. The moment he finished his homework, he is outside playing. I was like that as a kid, and I'm thankful that we have a home located in a place where he can play outside safely. I do miss him, though. He is growing up so fast, they all are. Yesterday, Jon Mark and I were having a conversation (that later turned into a water fight) about the kids and dating. Suddenly, my kids went from being little kids to 16 year old trouble makers all in the blink of an eye. Funny how that happens.
Well, that's all for now.
I have pictures from 2 months ago. Arg!!
Anyway, I'll just update without pictures today.
So, the other day Luke woke up from sleep screaming and crying. I went to the kids room to see what was wrong. But, by the time I got there, I saw Mercedes holding his hand telling him that there was nothing to be afraid of. She said that big brother and big sister were right there next to him and so he was safe. Mothers like to hear such nice things.
Luke was so sick this week. I spent 2 nights in a row holding him and alternating between showers and sitting on the bench outside (he had croup). It was awful. He was gasping for air and I was trying hard to not panic. Earlier in the week we had taken Hannah to the urgent care down the road because of a really high fever. We know that the bill for that will be pretty expensive, so I didn't want to have to take Luke in if I didn't have to. So, we stayed up pretty much all night for two nights. He was so bad. I took him to the doctor who gave him some steroid treatments and new breathing treatment medicine and he is doing fine now. Modern medicine is such a blessing. While I stayed up with him through the night and listened to his breathing, I felt so helpless. I had done everything I knew how to do for croup, and nothing was working. I felt like a crazy person watching his lips to make sure they weren't turning blue. I gave up trying to get any kind of sleep because every time I closed my eyes all I could think about was what if I fell asleep and he stopped breathing. Those kind of thoughts do not allow for sleeping. I prayed a lot. Finally, his fever broke and he was able to get some rest on my chest. I'm so thankful that I have been taught to pray.
Mercedes is also sick. Poor girl coughs so much til she gags herself and spits up. She begged me to help her. Again, I was helpless. I did everything for her that I knew to do. I finally asked her if she'd like me to pray with her. She agreed that that was what she wanted. I'm not even kidding, half way through my prayer I heard snoring. I looked down at her and she was OUT. Completely and utterly asleep. She had been going crazy not being able to stop coughing long enough to fall asleep, and then just like that, she was out.
Hannah may have broken her thumb today. I was trying to find my car keys when Luke took Hannah into the garage. I think he was trying to be helpful. He knew we were getting ready to go and I think he was trying to load up into the car. Well, he shut Hannah's thumb in the sliding door of the car. It was so sad. That door is fickle. Sometimes it works and other times you cannot get it open--at all. On my first try, I couldn't open the door and I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to. Her thumb was stuck. But, fortunately, the second try worked. Her thumb looked so horrible. It still does. I have seen her move it a little, but it looks like it may be broken. It was bloody and blue and I almost felt faint, but I pulled myself together and was able to help her as best that I could. She's upstairs sleeping now. She is such a cute little girl. She has learned to say certain phrases that her siblings say and they are all self-serving. In the cutest (and possibly most annoying, demanding voice possible) she shouts things like: "Let me out!" "I want some!" "This!" "Put sockies on!" Etc. But, on the other hand, she has learned that sometimes yelling for what she wants doesn't always get her what she wants, so her new thing is putting her hands together beneath her chin and in the sweetest little voice she says, "please?" And, it is hard to say no to that. She doesn't like being left behind for anything and she is quite a smart little lady. She knows when she is being jilted.
Joshua loves playing outside. I feel like I never get to see him. The moment he finished his homework, he is outside playing. I was like that as a kid, and I'm thankful that we have a home located in a place where he can play outside safely. I do miss him, though. He is growing up so fast, they all are. Yesterday, Jon Mark and I were having a conversation (that later turned into a water fight) about the kids and dating. Suddenly, my kids went from being little kids to 16 year old trouble makers all in the blink of an eye. Funny how that happens.
Well, that's all for now.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Story That Goes With The Other Story, and Updates
I hate thinking of titles for my posts.
So, in my last post I mentioned that Mercedes had been taught the family unit at school. She came home and I asked her about it. I thought I was being pretty casual and discreet, but yesterday Joshua came home and told me something that made me think otherwise.
He said, "you know how the other day Mercedes came home from school and you were sooo worried about her learning the family lesson because you were afraid people at school were confused about families?"
I said that I remembered.
He went on, "well, I think you were the one confused because my school doesn't teach about families that have a mom and a dad."
I held my breath.
"They teach us about word families. You know, words that have similar letters or sounds? Those are word families and that is what the teachers teach."
A few weeks ago, I was having a lot of back pain and I could barely walk. Joshua took it upon himself to hold open my door and help me with simple tasks. I didn't ask him to, he just did it. It was sweet.
Joshua would also like this baby to be named Han, as in Han Solo. Jon Mark wants Thor. I don't think so.
***
Mercedes had a bad UTI this past week. I felt badly for her. She screamed and cried every time she had to go pee. She had a hard time controlling her bladder, too. Her fieldtrip was today and she didn't want to miss it. I figured I had given her two doses of her antibiotic and she was doing much better, so I went ahead and let her go. Fieldtrips are a BIG deal around here. I haven't gotten any phone calls, so hopefully she is doing okay.
Mercedes and Joshua get such a laugh from watching Hannah. They especially like it when she copies what they say or when she and Luke act like doggies and stick out their tongues and pant.
Mercedes is learning how to talk better and she is losing her "British" accent. It makes me sad. I know getting her speech help is the right thing to do, but a part of me feels like a part of her childhood is being taken away. I know that sounds silly.
***
Luke is my little helper. He loves to feel big and help me, no matter what the task is. He will carry in super heavy grocery bags for me and come back for more. He will help me cook and clean. He will do just about anything to help especially if I say that I need big brother to help me.
He likes to make his siblings laugh. He is also very stubborn and independent. I don't like telling him "no" because I am sure to get absolute resistance and he will not look me in the eye afterwards. But, I have to say no sometimes, and I just brace myself for the resistance. He is a sweetheart, though. He enjoys visiting the elderly, my mom takes him to see my grandmas sometimes and he loves that. They love him, too.
***
Hannah is so sweet. She is happy most of the time and is quite an entertainer. She LOVES to dance. She has this one signature move where she bends her elbows kind of like a chicken and shakes her bum bum from side to side. She tries to copy whatever moves I am doing and she is quite talented at it. She talks pretty good. Her newest thing is telling me that her bum hurts when she is sitting in a stinky diaper, which is awesome because it helps me know sooner when she poops (which is all the time by the way). She gives a sad face and says, "owe, my bum".
Hannah loves Jon Mark. She is so sweet with him and he loves the fondness she has for him. I think a part of Jon Mark was sad when she was old enough to go to nursery. I think he enjoyed wrestling her for those two hours. She and Mercedes love their daddy.
***
Jon Mark is doing well. He works hard and plays with the kids when he gets home. Lately, he has been teaching the FHE lessons and we have been doing a lot of role-playing with the kids about making good choices. He is the instigator of such approaches to parenting at this specified weekly time and I think it is a good approach. The hope is that role-playing will help the kids learn strategies on how to deal with peer-pressure and give them things to say or do in similar situations so that they don't find themselves panicking or not knowing what to do in real life settings.
Jon Mark is my perfect balance. He is steady when I am anxious and worried. I worry about my kids facing peer pressure, I worry about what they will face in their life-time. He reminds me that we teach correct principles and then we trust them to make good choices as we continue to guide them. He reminds me that we have good kids, and that they are capable of standing up for what is right. I know all of that, but I still get anxious about it, only because I want them to find happiness in this life like the happiness that I know. I want them to have all that I have and I know that true happiness only comes from righteous living. But, they are great kids and they are going to do great things. So, I really shouldn't worry so much. Plus, I have a great man by my side helping me raise them.
***
I have 8 cavities. That's about the only thing new with me. It's embarrassing. But, in my defense pregnancy does cause tooth issues, and I haven't been to the dentist in like 5 years. Sooo, that's my excuse. This baby is kicking me more and more. I like feeling him move. Oh yeah, we found out that he is a boy. I'm not sure if I recorded that or not. He is measuring a week and a half ahead. That's no big surprise. That's always the case with my babies. My placenta is anterior and we are hoping that it's position changes slightly because an anterior placenta can cause a lot of hemorrhaging at the time of delivery. It can not detach or come off in chunks, and it can cause excessive bleeding. The baby will need to be taken out quickly, and so we decided on a C-section. It is the safest option, we think. My C-section is scheduled for March 6th at 10:30 am. We're excited that this lines up perfectly with the kids being on Spring Break from school.
So, in my last post I mentioned that Mercedes had been taught the family unit at school. She came home and I asked her about it. I thought I was being pretty casual and discreet, but yesterday Joshua came home and told me something that made me think otherwise.
He said, "you know how the other day Mercedes came home from school and you were sooo worried about her learning the family lesson because you were afraid people at school were confused about families?"
I said that I remembered.
He went on, "well, I think you were the one confused because my school doesn't teach about families that have a mom and a dad."
I held my breath.
"They teach us about word families. You know, words that have similar letters or sounds? Those are word families and that is what the teachers teach."
A few weeks ago, I was having a lot of back pain and I could barely walk. Joshua took it upon himself to hold open my door and help me with simple tasks. I didn't ask him to, he just did it. It was sweet.
Joshua would also like this baby to be named Han, as in Han Solo. Jon Mark wants Thor. I don't think so.
***
Mercedes had a bad UTI this past week. I felt badly for her. She screamed and cried every time she had to go pee. She had a hard time controlling her bladder, too. Her fieldtrip was today and she didn't want to miss it. I figured I had given her two doses of her antibiotic and she was doing much better, so I went ahead and let her go. Fieldtrips are a BIG deal around here. I haven't gotten any phone calls, so hopefully she is doing okay.
Mercedes and Joshua get such a laugh from watching Hannah. They especially like it when she copies what they say or when she and Luke act like doggies and stick out their tongues and pant.
Mercedes is learning how to talk better and she is losing her "British" accent. It makes me sad. I know getting her speech help is the right thing to do, but a part of me feels like a part of her childhood is being taken away. I know that sounds silly.
***
Luke is my little helper. He loves to feel big and help me, no matter what the task is. He will carry in super heavy grocery bags for me and come back for more. He will help me cook and clean. He will do just about anything to help especially if I say that I need big brother to help me.
He likes to make his siblings laugh. He is also very stubborn and independent. I don't like telling him "no" because I am sure to get absolute resistance and he will not look me in the eye afterwards. But, I have to say no sometimes, and I just brace myself for the resistance. He is a sweetheart, though. He enjoys visiting the elderly, my mom takes him to see my grandmas sometimes and he loves that. They love him, too.
***
Hannah is so sweet. She is happy most of the time and is quite an entertainer. She LOVES to dance. She has this one signature move where she bends her elbows kind of like a chicken and shakes her bum bum from side to side. She tries to copy whatever moves I am doing and she is quite talented at it. She talks pretty good. Her newest thing is telling me that her bum hurts when she is sitting in a stinky diaper, which is awesome because it helps me know sooner when she poops (which is all the time by the way). She gives a sad face and says, "owe, my bum".
Hannah loves Jon Mark. She is so sweet with him and he loves the fondness she has for him. I think a part of Jon Mark was sad when she was old enough to go to nursery. I think he enjoyed wrestling her for those two hours. She and Mercedes love their daddy.
***
Jon Mark is doing well. He works hard and plays with the kids when he gets home. Lately, he has been teaching the FHE lessons and we have been doing a lot of role-playing with the kids about making good choices. He is the instigator of such approaches to parenting at this specified weekly time and I think it is a good approach. The hope is that role-playing will help the kids learn strategies on how to deal with peer-pressure and give them things to say or do in similar situations so that they don't find themselves panicking or not knowing what to do in real life settings.
Jon Mark is my perfect balance. He is steady when I am anxious and worried. I worry about my kids facing peer pressure, I worry about what they will face in their life-time. He reminds me that we teach correct principles and then we trust them to make good choices as we continue to guide them. He reminds me that we have good kids, and that they are capable of standing up for what is right. I know all of that, but I still get anxious about it, only because I want them to find happiness in this life like the happiness that I know. I want them to have all that I have and I know that true happiness only comes from righteous living. But, they are great kids and they are going to do great things. So, I really shouldn't worry so much. Plus, I have a great man by my side helping me raise them.
***
I have 8 cavities. That's about the only thing new with me. It's embarrassing. But, in my defense pregnancy does cause tooth issues, and I haven't been to the dentist in like 5 years. Sooo, that's my excuse. This baby is kicking me more and more. I like feeling him move. Oh yeah, we found out that he is a boy. I'm not sure if I recorded that or not. He is measuring a week and a half ahead. That's no big surprise. That's always the case with my babies. My placenta is anterior and we are hoping that it's position changes slightly because an anterior placenta can cause a lot of hemorrhaging at the time of delivery. It can not detach or come off in chunks, and it can cause excessive bleeding. The baby will need to be taken out quickly, and so we decided on a C-section. It is the safest option, we think. My C-section is scheduled for March 6th at 10:30 am. We're excited that this lines up perfectly with the kids being on Spring Break from school.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Accountable
This is just a funny little story.
The other day Joshua told me that his teacher had a sign on her desk that was just plain wrong and that it needed to be taken down.
I braced myself, because earlier that day I became aware that Mercedes had been taught the family unit at school and one of the pictures she brought home appeared to have two dads. But, I think it went over her head because she told me that one man was the dad and one was the older brother and the others were the younger brothers and sisters and she guessed that the mom had died. She didn't know why there wasn't a mommy in that picture. Oh my goodness! Anyway, back to the funny Joshua story.
I braced myself and asked him what the sign was that he was so concerned about. He said, "Mom, it says you are accountable and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." I asked him what his objection to the sign was. I was confused.
He said, "I am not accountable. I am only accountable when I turn 8. Until then, I am not accountable."
I explained to him that the teacher's message was that everyone is responsible for their actions and people need to own that responsibility. I chuckled a little, too. :)
The other day Joshua told me that his teacher had a sign on her desk that was just plain wrong and that it needed to be taken down.
I braced myself, because earlier that day I became aware that Mercedes had been taught the family unit at school and one of the pictures she brought home appeared to have two dads. But, I think it went over her head because she told me that one man was the dad and one was the older brother and the others were the younger brothers and sisters and she guessed that the mom had died. She didn't know why there wasn't a mommy in that picture. Oh my goodness! Anyway, back to the funny Joshua story.
I braced myself and asked him what the sign was that he was so concerned about. He said, "Mom, it says you are accountable and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." I asked him what his objection to the sign was. I was confused.
He said, "I am not accountable. I am only accountable when I turn 8. Until then, I am not accountable."
I explained to him that the teacher's message was that everyone is responsible for their actions and people need to own that responsibility. I chuckled a little, too. :)
Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them
I know my last few posts have been a little on the gloomy, end-of-the-world, side. But, the truth is, it is scary. Even still, our hearts should hold fast to the knowledge that God is at the helm. So long as we remain faithful, we do not need to fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. We need to have faith, and remember who we are and whose we are. I wrote the following a little while ago, but didn't have it recorded here. So, I am recording it here now.
I've often pondered what it means when one uses or hears the phrase "men's hearts shall fail them". I think that when our hearts fail us, we are forgetting who we are. The faith that lifts us is left by the wayside and we allow fear to control our thoughts. There is encouragement in the words found in the hymn Come Come Ye Saints. While it is an LDS hymn, I believe that these particular lines can be applicable to people of all faiths.
"Why should we mourn or think our lo...t is hard, tis not so all is right. Why should we think to earn a great reward, if we now shun the fight. Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, our God will never us forsake; and soon we'll have this tale to tell-- All is well! All is well!"
When I was pregnant with my fourth baby, the doctors and nurses were sure that something was wrong with her. I was encouraged to terminate my pregnancy. Termination was not something that I would ever consider. My baby was my baby and she was sent to me for a reason. I knew that I would love her and keep her no matter what the outcome may be. My husband and I went through a time period of complete worry and stress, some may say that I had a moment in which my own heart was failing me. But, in the darkest moments of that pregnancy, I made a choice. I kneeled in prayer and I accepted the Lord's will for my child. I knew I wasn't getting anywhere on my own. I needed and I desired the Lord's comfort. From that moment on, I felt peace. Complete peace. My faith had been restored and I felt the love of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ helping me through that trial. I had my baby, and she was just fine. But, she would have been perfect no matter what. I'm grateful that she is healthy, but I also know that if she hadn't been born healthy, my husband and I were prepared to overcome any trial or obstacle that would have come our way, because of where we had placed our faith. We made the choice to trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I've often pondered what it means when one uses or hears the phrase "men's hearts shall fail them". I think that when our hearts fail us, we are forgetting who we are. The faith that lifts us is left by the wayside and we allow fear to control our thoughts. There is encouragement in the words found in the hymn Come Come Ye Saints. While it is an LDS hymn, I believe that these particular lines can be applicable to people of all faiths.
"Why should we mourn or think our lo...t is hard, tis not so all is right. Why should we think to earn a great reward, if we now shun the fight. Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, our God will never us forsake; and soon we'll have this tale to tell-- All is well! All is well!"
When I was pregnant with my fourth baby, the doctors and nurses were sure that something was wrong with her. I was encouraged to terminate my pregnancy. Termination was not something that I would ever consider. My baby was my baby and she was sent to me for a reason. I knew that I would love her and keep her no matter what the outcome may be. My husband and I went through a time period of complete worry and stress, some may say that I had a moment in which my own heart was failing me. But, in the darkest moments of that pregnancy, I made a choice. I kneeled in prayer and I accepted the Lord's will for my child. I knew I wasn't getting anywhere on my own. I needed and I desired the Lord's comfort. From that moment on, I felt peace. Complete peace. My faith had been restored and I felt the love of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ helping me through that trial. I had my baby, and she was just fine. But, she would have been perfect no matter what. I'm grateful that she is healthy, but I also know that if she hadn't been born healthy, my husband and I were prepared to overcome any trial or obstacle that would have come our way, because of where we had placed our faith. We made the choice to trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Update to Previous Post
I just posted a few paragraphs from Presiden Ezra Taft Benson's talk, A Witness and a Warning (October 1979). His talk was a wake-up call to America. It talked about how America is a choice land and that the Lord will protect it and make it free from all other nations so long as it's citizens worship the true and living God. President Benson was concerned for America because he saw that we were beginning to reject God. His primary concern was that our freedoms would be taken away through communism (the counterfeit form of gospel living).
Well, that was over thirty years ago, and we aren't communists. So, I looked up what a communist nation was. My research concluded that communism is an extreme form of socialism and that socialism is a steep step towards communism.
It is not a secret that we have twice elected a president who has strong socialist viewpoints and that he is slowly marching our country towards full-on socialism. The constitution of the United States is disregarded under his "rule" and I do mean "rule". Our freedoms are being taken away.
In doing my research, President Obama has been pushing strong political agendas that mimic, and sometimes almost entirely mirror the Communist Party USA's same agendas. There are documented speeches that he has made that support those same viewpoints.
My research also concluded that the end goal of socialism is communism. It is not freedom from government, but quite the opposite. It is progressive (in all the negative sense of the word) and it is bondage.
America needs to wake up.
Well, that was over thirty years ago, and we aren't communists. So, I looked up what a communist nation was. My research concluded that communism is an extreme form of socialism and that socialism is a steep step towards communism.
It is not a secret that we have twice elected a president who has strong socialist viewpoints and that he is slowly marching our country towards full-on socialism. The constitution of the United States is disregarded under his "rule" and I do mean "rule". Our freedoms are being taken away.
In doing my research, President Obama has been pushing strong political agendas that mimic, and sometimes almost entirely mirror the Communist Party USA's same agendas. There are documented speeches that he has made that support those same viewpoints.
My research also concluded that the end goal of socialism is communism. It is not freedom from government, but quite the opposite. It is progressive (in all the negative sense of the word) and it is bondage.
America needs to wake up.
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